Quote from: Chris24601;1084728I'll be honest, I've never even so much as opened the cover of a Pathfinder book so I didn't even know there WAS a Pathfinder alchemist and haven't touched 5e outside of a friend's PHB and Xanathar's Guide (and that only because they really wanted to run a game of 5e and needed players).

The only RPG I've really had much contact with in the last three years is the one I've been writing (its been complete enough to run an actual campaign with for about two years and the player's side has been mostly stable minus tweaking based on playtest feedback for about a year now).

As such, most of my suggestions have been based on actual alchemy to an extent; and one advantage there is that unlike, say, D&D's Evocation school (which was derived from wargame artillery rules as much as anything), Alchemy was actually a real medieval practice that fell within the approved areas of study for those affiliated with the Catholic Church.

One very important thing to remember about Alchemy in that regard is that no one practiced JUST alchemy. It was part of a larger field of natural magic (the progenitors of what today would be called the natural sciences) and the even larger field of general academic study that would have also included religious studies, philosophy and mathematics. Because of the expenses involved it was effectively limited in purview to the upper classes and clergy. A local folk healer might know of common remedies using locally available plants and materials, but that's roughly akin to having taken a First Aid course compared to the Alchemist's M.D.

Let me start by saying sorry for not getting back here sooner last time I was on I ran out of time before I got this far.
The tldr of the pathfinder alchemist is a guy who tosses achemical potions that only he can use and loose power when they leave his position cuz reasons feels very hand waved.
The 5E alchemist Ive only seen the play test version from there website but its a path for the "artificer" class the other being a gunner class with a hand waved thunder gun.
The 5E alchemist path has a magic alchemy bag they can reach in to and pull out an alchemist fire an acid or a healing tonic (works once per long rest fairly strong).
And yes a very good idea I like to try and keep in mind is that Sir isaac newton was an alchemist and that he only published 2 books on what we would call physics compared to 12 or 14 on philosophy.
As to background and where one comes from this I consider complex because in a fantasy world some of these things may be more wide spread.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1085913Lion & Dragon actually has two different Alchemy skills: the first is 'puffery', which is the non-magical alchemy-as-medieval-chemistry skill. The other is the magical skill.

I'll end up digging threw both most likely and blending them a bit. Are there any resources that you think I should look at?

Quote from: Fritzef;1086033For a survey of historical alchemy, I've found Laurence Principe's The Secrets of Alchemy (University of Chicago Press, 2013) to be a nice introduction.

thank you.

I just picked up lion and dragon. As well as your alchemy supplement John I expect both will be interesting.